Germany–Qatar relations

Germany–Qatar relations are the bilateral relations between Germany and the State of Qatar. Relations were first commenced in 1973.[1]

Germany – Qatar relations

Germany
Qatar

Diplomatic representation
Qatari embassy in Berlin

By January 1973, just two years after Qatar gained its independence, Germany was among the eighteen countries that Qatar appointed an ambassador to.[2] Qatar has had an embassy in Berlin since 2005.[3] It is headed by Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani as of 2017.[4] Germany has an embassy in Doha, which is headed by Hans-Udo Muzel as of 2017.[5]

Diplomatic visits

In 1999, sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani visited Germany, marking the first time the Qatari leadership made an official visit to the country. President of Germany Johannes Rau paid a visit to Qatar in 2001, and in 2002 Sigmar Gabriel, the Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, also visited Qatar. The first German chancellor to travel to Qatar on an official capacity was Gerhard Schröder, who did so in 2005. During his visit, the two countries signed a security agreement.[6]

Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani visited Angela Merkel in September 2017 to discuss the 2017 Qatari diplomatic crisis. Merkel expressed "great concerns" over the dispute and the absence of any immediately foreseeable resolution.[7]

Diplomatic relations

Political

In August 2014, Gerd Müller, German Minister of Development, alleged that Qatar was funding ISIS militants.[8] Following the comments, Germany said that it "regrets" the remarks made by Müller, and that it did not wish for any misunderstandings.[9] One day after Germany commented on the minister's statements, Qatar denounced ISIS and claimed that it does not provide funding of any kind.[10]

2017 Qatari diplomatic crisis
Main article: 2017 Qatari diplomatic crisis

On 6 June 2017, German FM Sigmar Gabriel condemned the Saudi-led boycott of Qatar.[11] In July, he called on the blockading countries to respect Qatar's rights as a sovereign nation, and applauded its prudence in responding to the blockade.[12]

As part of an effort to allay its neighbors concerns about its alleged funding of terrorist groups, on 5 July, Qatar agreed to provide German intelligence agencies with virtually all of its information and data.[13]

Military

In April 2013, Qatar signed a $2.5 billion deal with German defense company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann to purchase 62 Leopard tanks.[14] Almost half of the tanks had been delivered to Qatar by October 2016.[15]

In early 2019 Germany announced that it had approved the sale of the RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) weapon system to Qatar. The deal was criticized by opposition lawmakers citing ongoing human rights concerns in the Persian Gulf region. Announcement of the deal came amidst a freeze on German weapons sales to Saudi Arabia in the wake of the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi.[16]

Business and investment

Qatar has made large-scale investments in some of Germany's most prominent companies, including Volkswagen, Siemens and Deutsche Bank.[17]

The Qatar German Business Forum was inaugurated in 2000, and a joint economic commission between the two countries was set up in 2007. In 2015, Germany accounted for 7.3% of Qatar's foreign trade volume. Qatar's main export to Germany is liquefied natural gas.[18] Germany's main exports to Qatar are motor vehicles and machinery.[19]

Arts and culture

The Qatar Germany 2017 Year of Culture was an initiative organized by Qatar Museums Authority to enhance cultural ties between Qatar and Germany. The first joint event was a performance by the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, which was directed by German conductor David Niemann. They played both German and Qatari music at the Katara Opera House.[20]

See also

References
  1. Ayman Adly (1 June 2014). "FM hails deep-rooted ties between Qatar, Germany". Gulf Times. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  2. "The era of reform". New York: Permanent Mission of the State of Qatar to the United Nation. 1973. p. 4.
  3. "Contact". Embassy of Qatar in Germany. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  4. "Qatar Ambassador to Germany Stresses Need to Lifting the Siege, Then Dialogue to Resolve Gulf Crisis". Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Qatar). 22 June 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  5. "Der Botschafter und die Referate der Botschaft" (in German). German Embassy Doha. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  6. Jeremias Kettner (24 June 2017). "Germany and the Qatar Crisis". International Institute for Middle East and Balkan Studies. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  7. "Qatar emir meets Merkel, Macron on first foreign tour since crisis". France 24. 15 September 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  8. "German minister accuses Qatar of funding Islamic State fighters". Reuters. 20 August 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  9. "Germany 'regrets' minister's claim on Qatar ISIS funding". Al Arabiya. 22 August 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  10. "Qatar condemns Islamic State and rejects funding accusations". Reuters. 23 August 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  11. "Foreign Minister Supports Qatar, Bashes Trump". Handelsblatt Global. 6 June 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  12. "German FM: Qatar's sovereignty must be respected". Al Jazeera. 4 July 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  13. "Qatar 'open' to German intel in effort to clear up Arab states' accusations". Russia Today. 6 July 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  14. "German tank producer secures huge order from Qatar". Deutsche Welle. 18 April 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  15. Christopher F Foss (27 October 2016). "Qatar takes delivery of Leopard 2A7+ MBTs". Jane's 360. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  16. "Germany approves export of weapons system to Qatar". Jerusalem Post. 2019-01-24. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
  17. Christopher Cermak (25 March 2017). "Qatar Looks for Leverage". Handelsblatt Global. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  18. Denise Marray (21 April 2015). "Germany and Qatar — powerful trading partners". Gulf Times. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  19. "Qatar". German Federal Foreign Office. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  20. "Exciting start to Qatar-Germany 2017 Year of Culture". The Peninsula. 2 February 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
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